The Cleveland Browns are no longer determining their quarterback outlook on a week-by-week basis.

‘He has constantly and consistently gotten better in each one of these games and how he’s approached this game,’ Stefanski said of Sanders. ‘He’s been working very hard. So I feel good about where his development is heading. He knows there are always plays where he can be better and those type of things. But he’s very intentional about getting better each and every game he’s out there.’

The decision comes one day after Sanders threw for 364 yards and totaled four touchdowns in a 31-29 loss to the Tennessee Titans. In the fifth-round pick’s third start, he became the only rookie quarterback other than Joe Burrow to record at least 350 passing yards, three touchdown passes and a rushing score in a game in the Super Bowl era.

His third-quarter interception that led to the Titans’ go-ahead score loomed large in the contest, which ended on a sour note for Cleveland when a botched two-point conversion attempt – which Sanders was not on the field for – ended the team’s comeback bid.

‘He fought throughout the game, which we knew he would,’ Stefanski said on Sunday of Sanders’ performance. ‘Obviously with any young player, there’s going to be ups and downs, and I though there were some really, really, really good moments. He’ll keep learning from some of the plays he wants back, but (there were) some really good moments.’

Stefanski had previously not committed to starting Sanders for the remainder of the regular season. The Browns first turned to the quarterback when fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel landed in the concussion protocol after exiting a Week 11 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Stefanski at first said that Gabriel would reclaim his starting role once healthy but reversed course after the Browns won in Sanders’ first start against the Las Vegas Raiders.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It was a side of Jeff Kent that no one had really seen Monday afternoon, struggling to speak, breaking down several times, and overcome with emotion at his Hall of Fame press conference.

He broke down at the mention of the San Francisco Giants’ greats inducted into the Hall of Fame before him. He choked up knowing this was the final step of his baseball career. He was emotional talking about former San Francisco Giants general manager Brian Sabean taking the gamble and trading Matt Williams for him, and how former Giants manager Dusty Baker helped make him a Hall of Fame player.

Yet, the most poignant moment was when he was asked about his son, Kaeden, a minor leaguer in the New York Yankees organization, with his voice cracking several times while trying to speak.

“He always thought he could be better than me,’’ Kent said, “because he’d always say, “Dad, you’re not in the Hall of Fame.’ So, after I got the call, I hugged him and said, ‘Good luck.’’’

Kent’s press conference was attended by virtually the entire Giants’ front office, which will include three more Giants’ Hall of Famers in two years. Catcher Buster Posey, president of baseball operations, is a virtual lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer along with former Giants managers Bruce Bochy and Dusty Baker.

Jeff Kent, an old school player heads to the Hall of Fame

Kent’s impact of his six years in the Giants organization will reverberate forever, not simply because he hit more homers and drove in more runs than any second baseman in the modern era, but also for the way he played the game of baseball.

“I texted him this morning,’’ Posey told USA TODAY Sports, “and told him, ‘You were one of my favorite guys to watch when I was growing up.’ And then to see how emotional it was, how much this meant to him, was really special. I think that’s the coolest part about our game is the impact we can have as players on fans and their families. So then when you get to honor somebody like this, and see just how important the game was to him for so long, it’s pretty fun to see.’’

Bochy, who won three World Series championships with Posey as his catcher, never managed Kent in San Francisco, but grew to admire him from across the field for simply the way he played the game.

“He was old school, real old school,’’ Bochy said. “You didn’t see any fraternization with other players. He just played the game hard. And he played the game right.

“What we saw today, with all of those emotions coming out, you never saw that on the field. All you saw was his fierce competitiveness. He always played the game hard. He looked for any way to beat you.’’

Hall of Fame shortstop Alan Trammell, who was on the contemporary era committee that voted Kent into the Hall of Fame, says Kent reminded him of former teammate Kirk Gibson. He could be surly. He could be crude. You may hate him as an opponent, but you loved him as a teammate.

And no matter how you felt about him, you respected him.

“I remember just watching him run on the field before games,’’ Trammell said. “Guys would run across the infield, and meet and talk to other players. Not Kent. He would always go further down away from everyone. You know why? He didn’t want to fraternize. He was like Gibson or Jack Morris. You don’t mess with those guys before games.

“I don’t know what it really means, but it’s just a different breed, and that was Jeff Kent. He was a hell of a player who deserved this. He just exemplified how you play the game.’’

Said Kent: “It was a cliché, but I didn’t want people to get in my house. I didn’t want people to get in my brain because I wanted to focus on the game. I think a lot of times throughout my career people thought I took the game too serious at times. I didn’t have too much fun on the field. …

“But I played the game with passion. I played with integrity. I loved every minute that I played the game.’’

Kent still regrets never having won a World Series championship, saying the ultimate joy would have been simply to sit on the floor in a dirty uniform, soaked with champagne, and experiencing the feeling of being on the greatest team of the year.

“That has to be the ultimate fun,’’ Kent said. “I never got to experience that, and I miss that. But along the way, did I have fun? Yeah, but I still feel a little incomplete.

“But today, there’s no more. That’s it.’’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

The Florida State women’s college soccer team is the national champion once again.

No. 3 Florida State defeated No. 1 overall seed Stanford 1-0 in the Women’s College Cup on Monday at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. It is the Seminoles’ third national title in five years and fifth overall.

‘I’m honestly just so grateful. My team worked so hard and I’m so glad we got the outcome (we wanted), because we really went through it this game,’ Florida State sophomore Wrianna Hudson, who socred the game-winner in the 87th minute, said.

Florida State weathered an offensive attack from Stanford, who entered Monday’s championship with a nation-best 96 goals, 25 more goals than the next closest team. But the Cardinal were shut out when it mattered most. Stanford had 18 shots and nine shots on goal, but Florida State freshman goalkeeper Kate Ockene recorded a career-high nine saves for the clean sheet.

Florida State head coach Brian Pensky called Ockene ‘the MVP of this match. She kept us in the game. That’s what great goalkeepers have to do.’

USA TODAY Sports provided live updates of the Women’s College Cup final between Florida State and Stanford. Catch up below:

Women’s College Cup final live score

The section will be updated throughout the game.

Women’s College Cup final live updates

87′ – FSU 1, Stanford 0

Florida State is on the board. Wrianna Hudson, Florida State’s leading scorer this season, put the Seminoles in the lead with less than four minutes remaining in the championship match. The goal came off a corner kick.

85′ – FSU 0, Stanford 0

Florida State’s Jordynn Dudley was issued a yellow card for charging the ref after a non-call.

70′ – FSU 0, Stanford 0

Stanford’s Jasmine Aikey drew a foul from Florida State’s Janet Okeke and earned a free kick in the 70th minute. Aikey has a direct goal off a free kick in each of the last two matches, including the game-winning goal against Duke in the semifinal. Aikey unleashed another direct shot at the goal on the free kick, but it was saved by the Seminoles’ Kate Ockene. It marked Ockene’s eighth save of the match.

63′ – FSU 0, Stanford 0

After not recording any shots on goal in the first half, Florida State opened the second half more aggressive and registered back-to-back shots on goal in the 63rd and 65th minute. Stanford goalkeeper Caroline Birkel saved both shots from Kameron Simmonds and Jordynn Dudley, respectively.

Halftime – FSU 0, Stanford 0

The teams are scoreless heading into halftime. Stanford is outshooting Florida State 11-4, with six shots on the goal, but Florida State goalkeeper Kate Ockene’s six saves have kept Florida State in the game. Ockene’s six saves through the first half are a season-high for the freshman keeper.

Stanford head coach Paul Ratcliffe called for his team to have ‘more composure on the ball.’

34′ – FSU 0, Stanford 0

Stanford’s Sophie Murdock was assessed a yellow card on a hard foul on Florida State’s Jordynn Dudley. Florida State wasn’t able to capitalize on the free kick.

15′ – FSU 0, Stanford 0

Taylor Suarez got a good look at the goal, but her shot sailed high over the crossbar.

9′ – FSU 0, Stanford 0

Florida State goalkeeper Kate Ockene has been busy. Stanford came out the gate hot against Florida State, recording five shots and four shots on goal in the first nine minutes of the College Cup championship match. The best attempt came from a header from Eleanor Klinger at the 8-minute mark, but Ockene made one of four saves to keep Stanford off the board. The Cardinal are used to scoring early. Stanford has scored in the first 15 minutes in 17 of 24 games this season, including every game of the 2025 NCAA Tournament.

Florida State has one shot against Stanford.

Florida State women’s soccer starting lineup

Stanford women’s soccer starting lineup

Stanford invites Taylor Swift to Women’s College Cup

Musician Taylor Swift is familiar with Kansas City. She’s been a staple at Arrowhead Stadium over the years to cheer on her fiancé, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. The Cardinal extended an invite for Swift to come out and watch the Women’s College Cup championship match at CPKC Stadium in Kansas City on Monday. Will Swift make an appearance?

What time does Women’s College Cup final start?

• Date: Monday, Dec. 8
• Time: 7 p.m. ET ∣ 6 p.m. CT
• Where: CPKC Stadium (Kansas City, Missouri)

Florida and Stanford will kick off at 7 p.m. ET on Monday, Dec. 8 from CPKC Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri in the Women’s College Cup final.

What TV channel is Women’s College Cup final on today?

• TV channel: ESPNU
• Livestream: Fubo (free trial)

The Women’s College Cup final between Florida State and Stanford will be broadcast on ESPNU. Streaming options for the game include Fubo, which carries ESPNU and offers a free trial to new subscribers.

Women’s College Cup final predictions

Craig Meyer, USA TODAY Sports: Florida State 2, Stanford 1

The Seminoles lost the previous matchup between the teams this season, but largely controlled the game, nearly doubling the Cardinal in shots (16 to nine). This time around, they’ll get a more favorable result for their third title in the past five years.

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The NFL is flexing its first prime-time game of the 2025 season.

The league announced Monday that it is rescheduling the originally slotted ‘Sunday Night Football’ game for Week 16, the Cincinnati Bengals’ visit to the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 21, into that day’s 1 p.m. ET window, where it will be televised by CBS.

Moving into the league’s marquee weekly window on NBC will be the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens, their game at M&T Bank Stadium sure to have much broader playoff implications. The Bengals and Dolphins are still mathematically alive, though barely so with matching 6-7 records.

The Patriots currently lead the AFC East with an 11-2 record and are virtually tied atop the conference with the Denver Broncos, though the AFC West leaders currently hold the tiebreaker. Though 6-7, the Ravens are one game back of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the AFC North lead.

The only games the NFL had shifted so far this season were within the Sunday afternoon window.

After Flau’jae Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to seal LSU’s 93-77 win over Duke on Dec. 4, Johnson appeared to direct some words toward Duke head coach Kara Lawson and the Blue Devils’ bench.

Johnson competed under Lawson over the summer for Team USA at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup. Although Johnson and Lawson were both complimentary of their time together, LSU head coach Kim Mulkey revealed that Johnson ‘didn’t have a good experience with USA Basketball with Kara (Lawson),’ giving her extra motivation ahead of last week’s non-conference matchup.

“Flau’jae (Johnson) lost a lot of confidence this summer playing with USA basketball,” said Mulkey, whose Tigers remain undefeated at 10-0. ‘She’s had this date circled.’

What happened between Johnson and Lawson? Here’s what we know:

Flau’jae Johnson: Team USA experience ‘hurt me bad’

Johnson was tapped to represent Team USA at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup in Santiago, Chile, over the summer, alongside Olivia Miles (TCU), Hannah Hidalgo (Notre Dame), Mikayla Blakes (Vanderbilt), Madison Booker (Texas), Gianna Kneepkens (UCLA), Hannah Stuelke (Iowa), Kennedy Smith (USC), Joyce Edwards (South Carolina), Raegan Beers (Oklahoma), Grace Van Slooten (Michigan State) and Audi Crooks (Iowa State).

Following Team USA’s gold-medal victory over Brazil on July 6, Johnson shared a celebratory post on social media that read, ‘Something amazing I can add to my resume: 1X GOLD MEDALIST… It was an honor to wear those three letters across my chest!’ Johnson added, ‘Thank you, Kara Lawson can’t wait to compete on 12/6 (sic).’

However, Johnson opened up about her Team USA experience in a YouTube video released on Dec. 5, the day after the sideline incident with Lawson occurred. The vlog included footage of an emotional Johnson questioning her limited playing time under Lawson during the international competition.

‘The first couple of games I wasn’t able to play and that really did something to me. I’m not going to lie,’ Johnson recalled. ‘I’m coming off last season where I led my team to a deep run in the (NCAA) tournament. I’m an All-American, all-SEC caliber player and I’m not playing. July 4th when I got my opportunity, I made the most of it. I knew coming into this game that I had a point to prove.’

Johnson averaged 11.2 minutes across seven games in the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup tournament. Her best performance came on July 4 when she recorded a game-high 22 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two assists in a tournament-high 20 minutes in USA’s quarterfinal win over the Dominican Republic. Yet, she was limited to six minutes combined the rest of the tournament.

‘I thought after my performance (on July 4) that was solidified. Like, okay, I don’t know why I wasn’t playing before, but she got what it takes to play on offense and defense. But that wasn’t it,’ Johnson said. ‘It really messed with my mental because I have never been put in a situation where I didn’t play and I felt like in that moment that I earned it. When I got my opportunity, I actually earned it… It just hurt me bad.’

Kim Mulkey says Flau’jae Johnson had to rebuild confidence

LSU head coach Kim Mulkey said she had to restore Johnson’s confidence and ‘bring her back to where she can help us do what we need to do’ ahead of the 2025-26 women’s college basketball season. Johnson previously told USA TODAY Sports that Mulkey has been ‘pushing me to my limit’ her senior season.

Johnson has led LSU to the highest-ranked offense in the nation in response.

Johnson is averaging 16.1 points per game, while shooting a career-high 52.2% from the field and 54.3% from the 3-point line (the highest in that nation) through 10 games. LSU has scored 90 or more points in every game this season and has surpassed the century mark in nine of their 10 contests this year.

“I was happy for Flau’jae,’ Mulkey said of Johnson, who finished with a team-high 18 points, five rebounds and three assists against Duke on Dec. 4. ‘You get nervous because you think she’s gonna try to come in here and try to do too much. And I was proud of how she handled herself.’

Mulkey added, ‘(I) had a conversation with (Johnson) before we came here and I just winked at her and I said, ‘Just be you. Do what you do for LSU. Don’t make it personal. Don’t try to be somebody you’re not. Just you in that purple uniform with those three letters speaks volumes.”

Tensions appeared to boil over with 3:40 remaining in the non-conference matchup between LSU and Duke after Johnson knocked down a 3-pointer to extend the Tigers lead to 89-72. When running back on defense, Johnson shouted a NSFW remark toward Lawson.

Following the game, Johnson took to X to clear the air. She shared a video of her and Lawson shaking hands postgame: ‘Last night was a competitive environment and Duke is an amazing team. Their record does not reflect their grit or toughness. I was fired up in the moment but I have nothing but the utmost respect for Coach Kara Lawson, the coach I won my first Gold Medal under. Don’t get it twisted, she’s a legend.’

Kara Lawson responds

Lawson, who will lead the U.S. women’s basketball team at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, said her experience coaching at the 2025 FIBA Women’s AmeriCup was ‘good.’

‘My experience was a good one. Not just coaching Flau’jae (Johnson), but coaching all 12 players. Putting a team together and practicing within 10 days and then going to play a tournament,’ said Lawson, who played for Tennessee from 1999–2003 under legendary head coach Pat Summit. ‘Our college players did an incredible job playing against teams that had pro players on it and were able to win the gold. So just really proud of that group… They’re all really good players and I definitely wish ’em all the best.’

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ORLANDO, FL — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who drew the ire of the Major League Baseball Players Association last week when he voiced his support for a salary cap and floor, reiterated Monday that it’s merely his opinion and doesn’t consider his view a potential distraction among players.

“Here’s the thing,’ Roberts said, “I’m entitled to an opinion, as we all are. And so I think that’s one man’s opinion. And fortunately – unfortunately – I don’t have a vote.

“I still think the game’s in a great spot and everyone’s winning. It’s the greatest game. And it’s a lot of fun. So for me, I’m focused on 2026, but I was asked a question, and I answered it honestly.’

Roberts, who has led the Dodgers to back-to-back World Series titles, told Amazon Prime last week that he was in favor of a cap as long as there was a salary floor to force small-market teams to also spend.

“You know what? I’m all right with (a salary cap),’ Roberts said. “I think the NBA has done a nice job of revenue sharing with the players and the owners. But if you’re going to kind of suppress spending at the top, I think that you got to raise the floor to make those bottom-feeders spend money too.’

Roberts declined to back down from his comments, saying he simply wanted to provide his honest feelings.

“But, again, my opinion shouldn’t move the needle,’ Roberts said. “So, there’s people that are going to have those conversations. But for me, I love where the game is at. I love the game of baseball. …

“Again, I don’t make these decisions. I coach a baseball team, and that’s it.’

And if people don’t like his opinion, to be honest, Roberts really doesn’t care.

“I kind of stopped worrying about what people thought,’ Roberts said. “I really did, because in our world you can’t win anyway. People are waiting for you to fall. That’s the way it goes. They’re waiting for controversy, right?’

Roberts also scoffed at the notion that his opinion would create any problem with his players, with the players union vehemently opposed to a salary cap.

“Each player knows how much I care about them, their well-being,’’ Roberts said. “So that would never… I’m not concerned with that at all.’

Meanwhile, with Shohei Ohtani declaring that he will play for Team Japan in the World Baseball Classic, Roberts said he would prefer that Ohtani doesn’t pitch in the tournament, limiting himself to hitting. Yet, Roberts hasn’t broached the topic with Ohtani.

“I’m hoping he doesn’t [pitch],’ Roberts said, “but I don’t know. Shohei, he’s very in tune with his body. But I would say probably the thought is he’s probably just going to hit.’

Roberts also has not yet talked to Dodger pitchers Yoshinobu Yamamoto or Rōki Sasaki. They are expected to pitch for Japan in the WBC, but neither have officially declared their intentions.

“Obviously it’s something that they both are excited about potentially,’ Roberts said. “Obviously the country of Japan is excited. We have to have that conversation. But I would like to think that it’s going to be a dialogue as far as restrictions and [pitching] limitations. …

“It’s very delicate. I know I don’t want to be dismissive of what it means to them representing their country. I know the organization doesn’t. But I do think that the conversations need to be had, will be had as far as what each individual is taking on, and whatever role that they might be taking on, and what potential costs there might be.’

The Dodgers, after huge offseason expenditures the past several winters, are expected to be relatively quiet this time around. They aren’t permitted to publicly say they’re not involved in the sweepstakes for high-profile free agents like Kyle Tucker and Cody Bellinger, but are certainly hinting that they won’t dip into the deepest part of the free-agent pool.

“We’re very confident with where the roster is right now on the pitching side, the positional player side,’’ Roberts said. “Obviously there’s opportunities and potential opportunities to upgrade the roster and we’re always kind of looking to do that. But there’s really no big splash we feel needs to be made because this team is still focused, and there’s some talk about a three-peat.

“This is a focused team.’

And a team so powerful and talented that even with a salary cap, Roberts believes, they could still remain perennial World Series contenders.

“Honestly, I think that we have an organization that whatever rules or regulations or constructs are put in front of us,’’ Roberts said, “we’re going to dominate. And so just give us the rules. Let us know the landscape and then I’ll bet on our organization.

“That’s kind of the way I feel.’

Follow Nightengale on X: @Bnightengale

Though the Fighting Irish are a football independent, they are members of the ACC in all other sports, which adds some insult to the injury of the Irish missing the CFP for Miami this year. Notre Dame, of course, was ranked ahead of the Hurricanes heading into the final rankings, which made Miami’s jump into the field all the more shocking.

According to Notre Dame athletic director Pete Bevacqua, the blatant politicking done by the conference against the Fighting Irish — including repeated ACC Network airings of Miami’s Week 1 win over Notre Dame and turning its social media accounts into a Miami highlight reel during the final week of the regular season, not to mention graphics comparing resumes — the actions of the ACC are going to have a longstanding effect.

‘We were mystified by the actions of the conference,’ Bevacqua said on the ‘Dan Patrick Show’ Monday morning after some customary niceties about the respect Notre Dame has for the teams in the ACC. ‘To attack their biggest business partner in football and a member of their conference in 24 of our other sports. And I would tell you Dan, I wouldn’t be honest with you if I didn’t say that they have certainly done permanent damage to the relationship between the conference and Notre Dame.’

When asked to elucidate by Patrick, Bevacqua obliged.

‘Just, we didn’t appreciate the fact that we were singled out repeatedly and compared to Miami — not by Miami, Miami has every right to do that — but it raised a lot of eyebrows here that the conference was taking shots at us. And that’s just not something we chose to do. We wouldn’t choose to do that in the future and people might disagree with us but that’s just not something that we’d be comfortable with.’

Bevacqua praised Miami for its season as well.

On ESPN’s ‘First Take’ Monday morning, Paul Finebaum called Bevacqua’s public disapproval of the ACC as ‘the biggest story of the day.’

“Someone in Charlotte at the ACC office has some serious explaining to do because not only did they pile on social media, they used their own network to re-play on the ACC Network, the Notre Dame-Miami game every hour on the hour, and whether you agree or disagree with Notre Dame being in the field… the fact the Notre Dame athletic director is essentially saying ‘permanent damage,’ that means ‘We don’t want anything to do with you anymore.’’

Notre Dame, as it stands, has five ACC games per season and retains its independence in football. Finebaum said that may be threatened.

‘Just to repeat, Notre Dame is a member of the ACC in every sport but football and in football they play five conference games,’ Finebaum said. ‘That’s incredibly valuable if you’re a Wake Forest or Duke or North Carolina or North Carolina State. So the real story today coming out of this: Are they going to get out of the ACC and will the Big Ten or the SEC suddenly say, ‘Hey, Notre Dame we can figure out a way to have a relationship with you as well.’”

There would be substantial obstacles to Notre Dame working something out with the Big Ten or the SEC. The SEC has repeatedly stated it will not be adding teams, a decision likely vindicated by the tiebreaker debacle it encountered ahead of the championship game this year. The Big Ten, meanwhile, is unlikely to be as favorable in scheduling games as the ACC is, with a longtime rivalry game against USC slated to come to an end soon and the Fighting Irish’s rivalry against Michigan already in a lapsed state. Both conferences would also undoubtedly balk at the idea of Notre Dame keeping its independence in football, something the school has always placed great value in.

Ultimately Bevacqua and Notre Dame are making moves to secure their future in the CFP landscape and the ACC was doing the same. As long as the two are competing interests in every athletic department’s golden goose, that’s likely to be the case. But with the Irish being on the losing side, they clearly want the college football world to know of their grievances.

Major League Baseball’s 2025 winter meetings are underway with the baseball world descending on Florida to (hopefully) make some deals and lay the groundwork for moves in the weeks to come.

Outfielder Kyle Tucker is considered the winter’s top free agent, with big bats Alex Bregman, Kyle Schwarber and Pete Alonso also on the market. Need pitching? Left-handed starters Framber Valdez and Ranger Suarez are available, as well as closer Edwin Diaz.

The Detroit Tigers probably won’t trade Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, but there’s plenty of intrigue with the ace entering his final year before hitting free agency.

Here’s a look at some of Monday’s happenings:

CJ Abrams, MacKenzie Gore rumors for Nationals

ORLANDO, FL — The Nationals have aggressively been engaged in trade talks with teams involving All-Star pitcher MacKenzie Gore and shortstop CJ Abrams, with two general managers saying Monday morning that they now fully expect the two players to be traded.

Paul Toboni, the Nationals new president of baseball operations, informed teams weeks ago that they would listen to offers and after receiving heavy interest, now appear much more willing to part with the two players.

Teams, after seeing the high price for pitching on the free-agent market, have reached out to Washington in hopes to acquire Gore. The left-hander. 26, went 5-15 with a 4.17 ERA, striking out 185 batters in 159⅔ innings. He is under team control for two more years.

– Bob Nightengale

MLB winter meetings 2025: Five teams to watch

The winters meetings aren’t a hard deadline to add or subtract personnel, and many bold-faced names will loiter on the market, perhaps into the new year.

But proximity can certainly breed activity. With that, we examine five teams who could – or should – shake things up this week:

• Boston Red Sox
• Baltimore Orioles, 
• Toronto Blue Jays 
• Arizona Diamondbacks
• Detroit Tigers

– Gabe Lacques

Report: Diamondbacks agree to deal with SP Mike Soroka

Free agent right-hander Mike Soroka has agreed to a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks, ESPN is reporting.

Soroka began last season with the Washington Nationals before being traded to the Chicago Cubs at the deadline. He finished the season with a combined record of 3-8 with a 4.52 ERA over 89 2/3 innings (17 starts). He spend a significant portion of the season on the injured list with a shoulder issue, but returned late in the season as a reliever.

Tigers eyeing free agent Brad Keller as starter

Remember when the Detroit Tigers tried to convert right-hander Ryan Helsley from reliever to starter, only for him to stay in the bullpen by signing a two-year, $28 million contract with the Baltimore Orioles?

Here we go again.

The Tigers are interested in free-agent right-hander Brad Keller as a starter after his successful 2025 season in the Chicago Cubs bullpen, according to a person with knowledge of the situation who spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation is still developing. The 30-year-old is believed to be willing pitch as either a starter or reliever, but the Tigers are talking to him about returning to the rotation.

− Evan Petzold, Detroit Free Press

Yankees hot stove rumors for baseball winter meetings

“You never know,’’ Yankees GM Brian Cashman said of finding trade or free agent matches at these meetings. “It’s that time of year, so you hope you run into some things.’’

That said, “I don’t think there’s as deep of a need of a lot of things as there were last year,’’ said Cashman, referencing the pivots after losing free agent Juan Soto to the Mets.

“But there’s things we’re obviously trying to do,’’ Cashman said of acquisitions big and small.

Any larger scale deals by the Yanks might be via trade, due to owner Hal Steinbrenner’s “ideal’’ of a payroll just south of the final luxury tax threshold.

– Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com

Kyle Schwarber the center of attention in Orlando

Now that closer Emilio Pagan is back in the fold for the Cincinnati Reds, all eyes turn to Kyle Schwarber as the Reds and the rest of MLB head to Florida for the winter meetings.

Team sources say the Reds’ long-rumored pursuit of the star slugger from Middletown remains serious heading into the industry’s annual convention – when many in the game believe the robust market for Schwarber should start to crystallize.

The favorite to land this year’s National League MVP runner-up still is considered to be his own Philadelphia Phillies, who have expressed strong interest in bringing him back even as reports suggest they’re slow-playing the process as his market becomes more defined.

The Mets, supposedly the Orioles, Blue Jays and Red Sox, and allegedly even the Pirates have been linked to Schwarber, too.

– Gordon Wittenmyer, Cincinnati Enquirer

Yankees’ Brian Cashman pushes back on Sonny Gray

Former Yankees pitcher Sonny Gray may not have enjoyed pitching in New York, but team GM Brian Cashman said Sunday night the now division-rival never let him know that was the case until it was too late. Speaking to reporters Sunday night after arriving at the Winter Meetings, Cashman said Gray didn’t voice his displeasure until after the 2018 trade deadline.

Accroding to Cashman, Gray admitted his agent encouraged him to stay silent about his dislike for New York when the Yankees acquired him in 2017 so that it would improve his value as a free agent.

‘I never wanted to go there in the first place,’ Gray said in his introductory press conference on Dec. 2 after the Boston Red Sox acquired him from the St. Louis Cardinals.

Gray had a rocky time with the Yanks, going 15-16 with a 4.81 ERA before they traded him to the Cincinnati Reds following the 2018 season. After Gray came clean about his true feelings, Cashman said he told the pitcher, ‘Nothing I can do about it now. I wish you’d told me beforehand. I wish we knew this before we ever tried to acquire you.’

Mets rumors: Will New York make moves at winter meetings?

A season ago at the Major League Baseball’s Winter Meetings, the Mets grabbed a stranglehold on the attention when they landed Juan Soto one night into the proceedings on the richest contract in sports. It was a massive swing by the Mets front office – one that only netted soft contact during Soto’s first season in Flushing as the team fell shy of the postseason.

The Mets have already made waves early in the offseason, trading Brandon Nimmo and bringing in Marcus Semien. Last week, they signed reliever Devin Williams to a three-year, $51 million contract to plug in one hole in the bullpen.

But the futures of franchise favorites Pete Alonso and Edwin Diaz still linger at the top of mind for Mets fans. After last season’s disappointment, there is a need to bolster the top of the starting rotation — either via a signing or trade — and Nimmo’s exit opens up a second gap in the outfield that needs to be filled.

– Andrew Treddenick, NorthJersey.com

Jeff Kent voted into Hall of Fame by contemporary era committee

ORLANDO, FL — Every San Francisco Giants fan knew the day would eventually arrive that their legendary slugger would be elected into Baseball’s Hall of Fame.

Who would have ever imagined second baseman Jeff Kent would be the one to enter Cooperstown while Barry Bonds, baseball’s all-time home run king, was shut out again.

Kent, whose 377 home runs are the most by a primary second baseman in baseball history, received 14 of the 16 votes by the contemporary era committee and was the only player elected on Sunday, Dec. 7. Kent, who received 46.5% of the votes in his final year on the Baseball Writers Association of America ballot in 2023, needed 12 votes (75%) to be elected.

– Bob Nightengale, USA TODAY Sports

MLB trade rumors on top 10 targets

1. Tarik Skubal, Detroit Tigers
2. Freddy Peralta, Milwaukee Brewers
3. Ketel Marte, Arizona Diamondbacks
4. Steven Kwan, Cleveland Guardians
5. Joe Ryan, Minnesota Twins
6. MacKenzie Gore, Washington Nationals
7. Brandon Lowe, Tampa Bay Rays
8. Jarren Duran, Boston Red Sox
9. Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals
10. Luis Severino, Athletics

Yankees rumors: Pitchers for Bombers to target

There’s an acute need to improve the Yankees’ setup relief, but they’re likelier to find relievers via trade – as they did with Devin Williams and Fernando Cruz last winter. Bidding on big, free agent bullpen arms – led this time by Edwin Diaz – hasn’t been a Yankee trait in recent years, and they’re also likely to see Luke Weaver follow Williams (Mets) to another club.

Steinbrenner’s stated satisfaction with his rotation doesn’t rhyme with a pursuit of big-name starters, a group that includes Japan’s Tatsuya Imai.

Last year, Max Fried ($218 million) made it a trio of expensive, pinstriped free agent starters, joining Gerrit Cole ($324 million) and Carlos Rodon ($162 million). But Cole, Rodon and Clarke Schmidt will start the season on the injured list, and there’s incentive to add a one-year veteran option – perhaps inviting Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer into the conversation.

Right-handers Chris Bassitt, Merrill Kelly and Nick Martinez are potential short-term options, while Michael King – reluctantly traded in the Juan Soto deal – is a far more expensive but worthy target.

– Pete Caldera, NorthJersey.com

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier pleaded not guilty in federal court for his alleged role in an insider sports-betting scheme in which he’s accused of altering his performance to benefit illegal gambling.

Rozier, 31, appeared before the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York Monday, Dec. 8 for his formal arraignment on charges of wire fraud and money laundering. He also participated in a pretrial hearing later Monday afternoon at the courthouse, which is located in Brooklyn.

Rozier arrived to the courthouse wearing a grey suit and white shirt, flanked by his attorney, Jim Trusty. When asked if he had any comment by reporters on the scene, Trusty declined.

Rozier was arrested Oct. 23, hours before FBI director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr. announced indictments in a press conference. Rozier was one of more than 30 defendants arrested as part of a pair of explosive alleged illegal gambling scandals that linked three current and former prominent NBA figures.

Current Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and former player Damon Jones are the other two. Both pleaded not guilty during appearances in the same federal court in November.

Rozier and Billups have both been placed on unpaid leave. Rozier’s salary will be held in escrow; if cleared in the federal probe, he will receive all missed payments in full.

In a previous statement issued through his attorney, Rozier has denied the allegations.

“Terry is not a gambler, but he is not afraid of a fight, and he looks forward to winning this fight,” Trusty said on Oct. 23.

What are the charges Terry Rozier is facing?

According to the indictment, Rozier, Jones and others allegedly committed fraud by betting based on insider information about NBA athletes and teams from around December 2022 to March 2024.

The non-public information included when players would be sitting out future games or when they would pull themselves out early based on purported injuries or illnesses.

Rozier is accused of manipulating his performance during an NBA game to benefit illegal betting. The game took place on March 23, 2023, when Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets.

He had averaged 35.3 minutes and 21.1 points per game that season, and entered the night with no injury designation. He started the game, but played only 9:34 minutes before he left the game with a supposed foot injury.

He did not return and would subsequently miss the remaining eight games of the season. That night, Rozier took just four shot attempts, making two of them, and scored five points, while adding four rebounds and two assists.

According to the indictment, Rozier informed his childhood friend, De’Niro Laster, that he “was going to prematurely remove himself from the game in the first quarter due to a supposed injury and not return to play further.”

Per the indictment, Laster then allegedly sold the information about Rozier’s participation to multiple co-conspirators so they could place fraudulent wagers.

U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr. called the alleged setup, “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”

Who is Terry Rozier?

Roizer played college basketball for the Louisville Cardinals and was selected as the 16th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics. He spent four years with the Celtics before being traded to the Charlotte Hornets in 2019 as part of a sign-and-trade deal that sent Kemba Walker to Boston. Roizer remained with the Hornets until January 2024, when he was traded to the Miami Heat in exchange for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round draft pick.

Rozier is currently part of the Miami Heat’s roster, but he did not play in the season opener against the Orlando Magic due to a coach’s decision. Rozier averaged 10.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.6 assists in the 2024-25 regular season.